Path of My Own
by Sillybomber
Summary: Life is filled with decisions and all alter the path we walk in life. But unbeknownst to the young Sasuke his own life had been wrested from his control, his future dictated by the actions and meddling of others. But all it takes to seize back ones destiny is a single, fateful decision. It truly is astonishing just great a difference one choice can make.
1. Chapter 1

Revelations

* * *

He stared up at the clock, it seemed to tick slower and slower with every passing minute. And Sasuke couldn't help but grow frustrated, his teeth grinding together as the minute hand appeared to take an eternity to move, it was so close to the end of the day! It was Friday, that meant two whole days without being surrounded by the idiots he called classmates.

As if on cue, there was a small popping sound at the front of the class, a large plume of white dust shrouding their Sensei. "HAHAHAHAHA! You didn't see the firecracker I put in your board eraser did you Iruka-sensei!" one of Sasuke's fellow classmates loudly cheered. "NARUTO!" Iruka yelled as the dust cleared revealing a very irate scarred Chūnin. He'd gone to wipe the writing off the blackboard when the eraser had gone off in his hand, showering him in chalk powder.

Sasuke closed his eyes, again grit his teeth and tried his best to ignore it. "You're such an idiot Naruto-baka! Isn't that right Sasuke-kun?"

' _Oh how could I forget, Naruto's not the only one who annoys me_ ,' he thought. "Hn," was his actual reply. The only reason he replied at all was because if he didn't she might continue talking to him. And his afternoon was already tedious enough waiting for that damn clock to decide it was time to leave without Sakura's shrill, irritating voice making it worse.

He looked up at the clock again, not even a minute had passed since he'd last gazed upon it, there was barely ten minutes to go. The more he thought about it the more he was convinced the clock was deliberately toying with him, slowing down and speeding up time at it saw fit, its primary purpose to make his day as miserable as possible.

And goodness gracious did that final ten minutes drag its feet, the clock desperately exhausting every possible excuse it could before finally relenting and ticking over to 3:15 pm. ' _Finally!'_ he almost cheered in his head as the bell rang.

"Alright then class, that's it for this week. I'll see you all on Monday, remember to practice as much as you can, especially on your Jutsu. Your graduation exams are only a few weeks away now," Iruka reminded them as he continued trying to pat the chalk dust off his outfit. "As for you Naruto, come here!" he darkly ordered the energetic blonde.

' _The graduation exams,'_ He thought as he exited the classroom. They held two positives for young Sasuke, firstly they meant he'd be rid of the Academy and secondly he'd be one step closer to achieving his ultimate goal.

Before he could too deeply descend into the brooding that was primarily dominated by him imagining ever more elaborate ways to kill his sole surviving relative his attention was pulled behind him to that ever annoying voice.

"Do you fancy walking me home, Sasuke-kun?"  
"No," he bluntly replied. She always did this, it may not have been daily, not anymore at least, but every Friday without fail. ' _Now, where's the other half?_ '

"Oh - err, ok. Do you wanna go on a date with me?"  
' _And there it is._ ' He groaned which was immediately followed by another, "No."

He wasn't facing her so he didn't see the dejected look on her face as he continued walking. "Well what did you expect forehead? We both know that Sasuke-kun prefers blondes," a second female voice antagonised the pink haired girl. "Oh what do you know Ino-pig!" she hotly retorted.

And just like that yet another argument broke out between the two former friends, as Sasuke picked up the pace so as to limit the time he'd have to listen to their incessant screeching.

-(*)-

"Finally," he quietly said to himself. It took him nearly a minute to get out of earshot of them, how they could both be so loud mystified him, their voices seemed to carry an impossibly long distance but it mattered not now, they were gone and Sasuke could return to what he did best; brooding.

If Sasuke's vocabulary could be summarized by the word 'silence' then his personality could be summarised by 'Brooding'. He did it constantly, wherever he went, whatever he did, his mind wandered. Wandered to memories of the one who'd destroyed his life and thoughts of just how he'd exact his vengeance.

That day, when he'd journeyed home from the Academy, when he'd walked through the silent streets of the Uchiha compound. Just like he was now in fact, just like he'd done almost every day since.

Silence. Rows upon rows of houses utterly empty, devoid of occupants, called home by no one. The bodies may have been buried and the blood wiped away but it was as if their spirits still inhabited the buildings, the air hung heavy with a sense of gloom. Most had avoided the compound since, the occasional ANBU squad seeking a shortcut across town seemed the only exception. Once a large sprawling complex of streets, now almost totally abandoned.

And it showed, the paths were in desperate need of de-weeding, houses were beginning to look ragged, the paint was becoming discoloured and peeling, exposed wood showed the early signs of rot, moss spread across the faces of intricate stone sculptures. Even the leaves on the trees seemed to hold a brown, unhealthy tint here.

It was inescapable for Sasuke, he only had to step outside to be reminded of that night.

But that paled in significance really as he walked up towards his front door, it paled because he only had to wake up to be reminded of what happened. His very existence served as a reminder.

He still lived in the same house, unlocking the door he stepped inside. Walking through the rooms of the single-story building, he still ate in the same kitchen, slept in the same bedroom, his parent's room was untouched except for when he did housework.

Itachi's room he hadn't even stepped into. And he'd taken action to ensure neither he nor anyone else would. He'd put a large lock on the door and nailed several wooden boards over the door and the outside of the window ensuring no one could get in. And finally at the end of the corridor was his bedroom.

He dumped his bag on the floor and flopped down on the bed, tucking his hands behind his head he stared up at the ceiling. His mind playing with the concept of cutting off limbs with nothing more than Ninja wire. ' _How would you cut through the bone? Heat the wire? No, it would lose its structural strength…'_

This was how Sasuke passed the time, he didn't have hobbies per se, but that wasn't to say his imagination was underutilised.

The afternoon passed into early evening and Sasuke was undisturbed. So much so he eventually fell asleep. Sleep was something Sasuke didn't welcome, it was when his eyes closed that his memories became even more vivid.

 _Walking home in the early evening, the streets devoid of anyone._

 _Walking into an utterly silent home._

 _Sliding open the door to find a shadowy figure standing over the bodies of his parents_

 _Discovering that shadowy figure was his Nii-san._

 _Being subjected to those eyes, those menacing pinwheels_

Those pinwheels, of everything they haunted him the most. It was through those eyes he had been forced to watch his parents murdered over and over again. But it wasn't just images, there were words too.

" _You have been Jealous of me, and you have hated me. You've continuously aimed to surpass me. Because of that, I will allow you to live for my sake."_

 _*Dark Chuckle*, "Foolish Otouto…"_

" _If you wish to kill me, then hate me, detest me for I have taught you to hate. Live a long miserable life immersed solely in your hatred of me. Run, run little Otouto and cling to that misery lest it leave you weak and powerless."_

" _And when a day comes that your eyes resemble mine, seek me out, track me down and come before me and test your hatred against my own."_

' _Test your hatred against my own.'_

"ITACHI!" Sasuke screamed as he woke with a start. His heartbeat was frenetic and his breathing erratic. Sweat rolled down his forehead, his hair was sodden and his shirt clung to him. He felt constricted by it and he panicked, he desperately grabbed at it, he had to get it off. He rolled around, he'd managed to pull it up to his neck as he fell off his bed.

Landing on the floor with a thud he finally got the shirt over his head, quickly pulling his arms out of the saturated piece of clothing he scrunched it up into a ball and hurled it across the room. Scurrying backwards till his back was flush against the wall he tucked his legs in and wept.

Nearly an hour of muffled sobbing passed before he finally ran out of tears. If someone had been present they'd of occasionally heard Sasuke hoarsely whisper a single word, "Why?"

This wasn't the first time this had happened, it came in spurts. Nothing for a month or two then two or three would follow in quick succession in as many weeks.

Finally lifting his head he realised how cold he was. This time of year was still slightly chilly during the nights and he'd been without a shirt for going on an hour, and in addition parts of his black three quarters were sodden with sweat and his tears.

Dragging himself to his feet he walked down the hall to the bathroom, pulling off the rest of his outfit as he went he dropped them in a hamper and turned on the shower.

The few moments it took for the water to heat up seemed to drag as he stood there shivering. When the steam started permeating the room he near threw himself under the heated stream of water, just as he had in his room he sat on the floor and brought his legs in and just let the water fall on him.

He stared blankly at the bathroom tiles lining the shower. The last words his brother had spoken to him repeating in his mind.

' _Test your hatred against my own_.'

There was something about those six words that sounded off to Sasuke, maybe it was because he'd cried himself out so his emotions weren't subjugating his ability to evaluate. ' _My hate against his? Is he trying to make me be like him?_ ' He knew Itachi was a very reserved and insular personality, and with a mind cleared of its emotional cloud Sasuke realised he was too, even more so in fact.

Itachi was a cold and malicious person… So was Sasuke. Itachi cared for no one other than himself and… So did Sasuke. Itachi would go to any lengths to test himself no matter the cost and… Sasuke would go to any lengths to kill Itachi, no matter the cost.

These sudden revelations all rebounded around the confines of his mind, each amplifying the other until it sounded more like a series of overlapping screams.

Then nothing. His mind went silent and then his eyes widened and Sasuke had his epiphany. He was almost identical to his brother. If someone had made such a comparison to him he'd have vehemently denied it but it was true. Itachi's actions and Itachi's words had turned Sasuke into a younger version of him, brimmed with animosity and hate.

' _This I cannot allow! I cannot and will not ever be like Itachi._ ' He mentally declared, ' _But what exactly does it mean?_ ' The voice in his mind growing quiet.

Sasuke, when he wasn't blinded by his hatred was a naturally intelligent person and with his emotions suppressed he could put that mind to work.

He began what would end up being a full review of his person. Starting with his general attitude it would spread to encompass every aspect of his life, past and present, every memory would be reviewed. What he found was not to his liking.

One of the memories that stuck out was of a discussion between himself and Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage. It took place in the elderly man's office a few weeks after the massacre.

* **Flashback** *

"Sasuke-kun, have you yet decided what will become of the Uchiha compound as a whole?"  
"Hn," he darkly replied. The Sandaime sighed, the boy had almost seized up. The first few days he'd been overcome by grief but that seemed to have passed and it had been replaced by a dark wave of enmity.

"No one can live there except you, Sasuke-kun. It's clan grounds so only recognised Uchiha's and individuals permitted by the clan leader can live there of which there are none. It's just you." Sasuke turned his eyes on the Hokage, even now just the mention of his family name was enough to stir his interest.

"What are you trying to say?" he bluntly asked. Hiruzen took a breath and sighed. "Straight to the point I see, very well. I'm asking if you wish to keep a hold of all the Uchiha clans holdings within the village." Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "Why?" he coldly asked, in his mind the old man was attempting to wrest control of space within the village that was rightfully his families.

Again the Sandaime sighed, "The land is owned by your family so it's upkeep is paid for from clan coffers, and that is overseen by the clan. The village as a whole plays no part in…"  
"Get to the point!" he angrily snapped. This time it was Hiruzen's turn to narrow his eyes. "It means that the Uchiha compound will fall into a state of disrepair, weeds will sprout in paths and unmaintained buildings will weaken until they eventually just start falling apart."

* **End Flashback** *

He had never answered, he'd stopped paying attention by the time the Sandaime had finished talking.

"Maybe I should probably do something about that," he said as he pulled a fresh shirt on. He had seen the weeds begin to sprout on the edges of paths, the paint peeling from house fronts. It was just as the Sandaime had said but Sasuke had completely ignored it. Had he truly been so blinded?

He decided he would take a walk around the entire compound to help keep him thinking because he was tired. He'd been awake most of the night, his rude awakening had been in the early hours, he'd spent an hour weeping. That was followed by hours just sitting on the shower stall floor, in fact he'd been in there for so long he'd run out of hot water. So long that the first rays of morning light were just beginning to peak over the trees and through the windows.

He stepped out his front door just as the sun rose over the horizon, some people would see that as a sign. For Sasuke it meant he'd be able to see just what the Sandaime had described in great detail.

He hadn't even left his own front garden when he came across the first signs of it. His Kaa-chan's flowerbeds, once meticulously kept, where once only flowers full of colour once grew, was now choked with weeds and wild grass, any flowers had long since been buried by the invading flora and suffocated of light. The multiple lawns were overgrown and patchy. The low wooden fence surrounding the garden looked scruffy, some of it buried in the grass.

It didn't bode well for everywhere else but nevertheless Sasuke continued. And he became more and more funereal as he saw more of the compound. Nowhere seemed immune, it was all suffering from disrepair.

"I will have to make a decision soon, it doesn't seem right to just let it all rot away," he said as he re-entered his home. He'd been out for some time, it was late morning by now.

He had intended to go to bed, he had been dragging his feet towards the end of his tour. But a loud growl from his stomach told him it had other ideas so he stopped halfway up the corridor, spun around and willed himself to the fridge.

He didn't have the energy left to prepare or cook anything so he looked through the shelves for a quick fix. Nothing really took his eye until he spied something tucked away on the top shelf. It was rectangular in shape and dull yellow in colour, he picked it up. It was of course a block of cheese and of course very soon it was all gone.

With his hunger satiated for the time being he slowly made his way to his bed, he didn't get chance to pull back the sheets, nor had he changed them from the night before the stench of sweat still hung heavily in the room but despite that he just collapsed onto them and was out before his head landed on the pillow.

-(*)-

 **Many Hours later**

An eye peered open, shutting again immediately as the bright light assaulted his retina. _'Why is it so bright? The sun would have set by now surely?_ ' He couldn't tell the time via a clock, there wasn't a single one in the house. It was a few minutes before he tried opening his eyes again and this time he took precautions by holding a hand in front of his face.

Even with the hand he had to blink a few times while his pupils adapted. He came to one conclusion without much fuss, it was brighter than a few minutes earlier. "Is it really morning?" he wondered aloud. It would mean he'd slept through what remained of yesterday morning, the afternoon, the evening and the entire night. "That's like 18 hours, I think."

As it had done for months now, when he awoke it took a few seconds to kick in but the ever-present hate boiling inside him welled up once more. As it did he remembered the revelations of yesterday, immediately pushing themselves to the front of his mind… and the anger receded, like water down a drain.

It felt… almost surreal, as if someone had taken a rucksack full of rocks off his back, he felt so 'light', so calm, tranquil even. For the first time in almost a year Sasuke felt something akin to peaceful. ' _I like this feeling,_ ' he thought with a smile – an actual, genuine smile.

His good mood, however, was interrupted by his emotions, it was not anger but sadness that washed over him, he couldn't stop the few errant tears that paved the way for more. It wasn't until mid-morning and after another shower that he calmed down again.

When Itachi had slaughtered all but one of the Uchiha clan Sasuke had spent the first few days gripped by sorrow but that had soon given way to anger and fury. That sorrow had never completely run its course, it meant Sasuke hadn't fully come to terms with the heartache and the despair of losing his parents and his brother betraying him, he hadn't fully mourned their loss.

When he'd again recovered his composure he found he needed to change his shirt yet again, he could feel the front was damp even if the black colour hid any possible discolouration. "May as well do the laundry," he muttered picking up the hamper. The first thing collected was the bedding.

Having made his way to the utility room he threw clothes one at a time into the washing machine. He got halfway through before he realised something, everything was either black/ grey or a dull navy blue, except the shorts which were bizarrely enough, white. Cocking an eyebrow he queried himself, "Are these the only colours I have for clothes?"

That surely couldn't be right, he abandoned the half-filled washing machine and walked back to his room and threw open his wardrobe, "Oh, everything is only those three colours… Why? I know black is one of the clan colours but I'd never liked it that much.." This brought several more questions to mind, amongst them being, 'What colours did he like?'

He made a decision right there, it was an impulsive one but one he nevertheless felt would be a positive step for the new him. He was going to get a new wardrobe and there was only one thing he was certain of.

No Orange!

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

This and the second chapter used to be one giant chapter but given the major tone shift it seemed sensible to split it in two, that and combined they total 10,000 words.


	2. Chapter 2

The Uchiha's new clothes

* * *

Sasuke was rather surprised by himself, before now the only impulses he'd ever had were to break things in a bout of anger or frustration. And now here he was, wallet in hand.. well pocket, walking through the merchant quarter he wasn't exactly sure where would be best. Konoha played host to a rather large merchant/ market quarter so there were numerous clothing stores.

Rather annoyingly it didn't take long before shop owners were attempting to 'persuade' him into their store. If any were to succeed then Sasuke would of course be getting anything he chose either for free or at a huge discount. Not that it would cost the store owner anything, after all, how better to drive sales than to tell potential customers that this is where the last Uchiha gets his clothes.

It used to only annoy him. Now, however, it disgusted him to see such pitiful sycophancy. It was one of few similarities between his new and old self, and one he wasn't too upset to keep.

He meandered through the bustling streets, he was rather astonished to see everywhere as busy as it was given it was Sunday and he would presume most would have already shopped the day before, on the Saturday. Maybe people had all had the same idea, ' _Everyone will be there on Saturday, so we'll go on Sunday'_. He couldn't fault the logic but it really did seem as if everyone had had that idea.

He decided to try looking 'off the beaten trail' so to speak down the quieter side streets, perhaps there was less chance of him being recognised down them. It wasn't long until he spotted a storefront that caught his eye. ' **Kanuchi & Shounin's Shinobi outfitting**'.[ **1** ] It had caught his eye because unlike everywhere else there were metal bars over the windows, given the large array of weaponry on display in said windows it was rather understandable.

But it was more than just the bars, the walls were plain blue/ grey breeze-block instead of the colourfully decorated wooden storefronts that surrounded it. It looked positively dull by comparison.

There were also a pair of signs hung up. The first had ' **Sell Weapons, utility gear and clothing** ' written on it. The second ' **Shinobi or Academy Students only** '. ' _Well if all else fails I can hide from the mobs of civilian fangirls in here,_ ' he thought with a shudder as he pulled the door open, a small bell set above the door jingled as he entered.

Just as it was on the outside, it was simple and practical inside, all the shelves were arrayed in perfectly straight lines, all the products organised in a very meticulous fashion, nothing was out of place and everything was clearly visible.

One aisle for kunai and the numerous variants they stocked, many of which Sasuke had never seen before. Another for all sorts of weapons, both big and small, sharp and blunt. The nearest wall was split between Fūinjutsu accessories/ supplies and materials and equipment for poisons. And finally, against the far wall what Sasuke was here for, clothing.

He approached the rather varied selection, he had to admit he was pleasantly surprised by just how much they had to choose from and in many colours too.

At the top was a mannequin garbed in an item of clothing which was set atop a low but wide shelving rack. The racks directly beneath the mannequin were filled with varying sizes and colours for that item of clothing. All the shelves were full but nothing looked crammed in. There was even a small sign asking shoppers to help maintain the neat appearance by properly returning anything they pulled from the shelf.

He cast his gaze over the dozens of mannequins before him and Sasuke realised something - He didn't really know what he was looking for. He stood there for a few minutes flip-flopping over whether he like one thing or another. Then his salvation came.

"Anything I can help you with?" He turned towards the direction of the voice. At the end of the aisle was a girl. She wore a sleeveless pink qipao style blouse with red trim and plain dark green pants with deep blue sandals. Her brown hair was tied into two buns with a few bangs falling either side of her eyes, her Hitai-ate tied around her forehead.

This led to another little discovery for Sasuke, he had to have a conversation. Something he was very inexperienced with of late.

"Helloo," the girl asked, waving her arm in Sasuke's line of sight. It succeeded in snapping him out of his thoughts. "Err, sorry," he sheepishly answered, he hoped his nervousness didn't come across in his voice. "Hello there, welcome back," she joked. "So do you need any help?" she asked again.

Sasuke simply nodded. "ok then," she said walking up to him, she eyed him analytically, "I take it from your age that you're an Academy student?"  
"My graduation exams in a few weeks," he quietly answered. "Ok. Since you're in front of the clothing I presume that's what you're after, are you looking for just an addition or two or an entirely new outfit?"  
"New outfit. I want to get rid of these," he pointed to what he was currently wearing. "Hmm, they are rather basic. Do you want to change the colour scheme too?"  
"Yes," he said in a voice resembling enthusiasm.

"Before we start, what's your budget?" This was something Sasuke hadn't considered when he'd picked up his wallet and left his home. He pulled his wallet out of his pocket and opened it, the bun-haired girl looked away in courtesy as he did. He was taken aback by how much money was there. ' _Did I always carry this much on me? Why?_ ' It was obscene, how many thirteen-year-olds carried tens of thousands of Ryo on them all the time? His spending would be something he'd have to look into, his clan had been a wealthy one but it was hardly limitless.

He put his wallet away again, "Money isn't an issue," he said, he almost felt embarrassed saying it.

"Alright. Another question. What are you good at?"  
"Huh?" Sasuke asked in confusion. "Shinobi skills, you know Taijutsu, Ninjutsu. Etc."  
"Oh, I see," he said in realisation. "I'm best at Taijutsu and Ninjutsu although I expect my Genjutsu skills to improve substantially should I ever awaken my eyes?"  
"Awaken your eyes?" Sasuke spun around to answer her question, the Uchiha clan emblem sown on the back. This time it was her turn to say, "Oh, I see."

"So you don't use a weapon of any kind?" he shook his head. "Okay, good at Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. A possibility of Genjutsu through a Kekkai Genkai, not a Kinjutsu user. Do you study Fūinjutsu at all?" Again he shook his head. "Okay, keep the sealing stuff simple," she muttered to herself. "Is there a problem?" he asked in concern. She snapped back to attention, "A problem? No, no problem. I like a challenge," she finished with a grin.

"Come on, we'll start at the bottom and work our way up," she said grabbing him by the arm and dragged him towards the sandals. Forty-eight hours ago he'd have snatched his arm from her hand and ranted at her but now, he just let her. It was going to take a while to re-adapt to the variety of emotions and social interactions he'd isolated himself from.

"What colour would you prefer?" she asked as he gazed over their sandal selection. He had no idea there were so many different sandal types. "If you don't mind me asking, what's the difference?"  
"Some are made from slightly different materials but it's mostly different sole imprints. Some imprints spread a Shinobi's weight better across the entire foot, others are better for moving across certain terrain."

He looked a little closer at the labels, there were short descriptions of what made the sandal different. He read through some of them but found himself drawn back to one of the first he'd read.

'Good all round sandal design. Imprint spreads weight well over liquid surfaces, grips well on most surfaces.'

He spotted the ones in his size and picked up a silver grey pair. The design meant his toes were still visible but the rest of the foot and ankle was covered by the material. It wasn't tight around the ankle either, the opposite in fact as the material flared outwards and upwards. "Done?" she asked him, "Yeah."

"Ok, good start then, next," she cheerfully said. She was halfway towards pulling him towards the pants/ trousers section when she suddenly stopped. "Are you going to use wrappings around your ankles?"  
"I used to have leg warmers with wrapping around them on my lower leg but not my ankles, I intended to get rid of the leg warmers."  
"Alright. I'd recommend it on your ankles though, it's good for catching and absorbing sweat and blood so it doesn't compromise your sandals grip against your feet." She'd convinced him, "I think I'd like to give it a try."

"Do you have your own wrappings?" He nodded, she yanked on his arm again.

"Now since you'll be wearing wrapping on your ankles, I'd recommend three-quarter length pants. Full length just makes replacing the wrappings a little tedious. He took her advice on board and ignored the full-length selection. His eyes skimmed over the mannequins when something drew his attention.

They were simple in design with no patterns and minimal detailing on them. Towards the bottom of each leg was a built-in shuriken holster while the left leg had a built-in pouch around the thigh. The top was tied off with a slim rope belt with a scarf belt underneath to prevent chaffing. The girl could see what had caught his interest, "Are you good with shuriken?" she asked. "Yes, everyone in my family was taught Shurikenjutsu from a young age."

It was only then that he realised what her question entailed and for the briefest of moments his anger flared. The old Sasuke angered incredibly quickly when anyone talked about his family, even in so in-direct a manner, regardless of context. It was only a fraction of a second before it was utterly suppressed but it was still long enough to have changed his facial expression and she'd noticed.

"I'm sorry?" she apologised even if she didn't fully understand why but Sasuke waved it off, "Please, it's ok," he reassured her in an apologetic tone of his own.

Forty-eight hours earlier, a question as simple and innocent as that would also have been sufficient to make Sasuke stalk off in anger but now, Nothing. It would serve as a small point of pride for him as she gave him a small sympathetic smile. "Then I think those pants would be a good choice, you'll have plenty of shuriken within easy reach and the extra pouch is a bonus."

"Now as for shirts, I'd recommend something plain that doesn't have pockets over the chest."  
"How come?" he asked as he cocked his head slightly to the side. A smile spread across her lips, "You intend to get promoted past Genin right?"  
"Uh-huh," he replied with a series of short nods. "When you're promoted to Chūnin, you're given a flak-jacket. If your shirt has pockets on the front they'll just get in the way. Think of it as future-proofing," she explained.

With her advice again at the forefront of his mind he scanned through what was on display but nothing seemed to jump out and grab his attention. They all either sported pockets on the front or were in styles he didn't like.

"Nothing taking your fancy?" He shook his head. "Hmm," she hummed tapping a finger on her lips in thought. "I think this is all we.. Actually no, there are a few things in the back that aren't out here. We didn't have anywhere to display them, I guess they're still sat in a box. Do you wanna take a look?" He nodded and quickly found himself being dragged around by the arm again.

Up the aisle, around the corner, behind the counter and into the storage room.

The storage room looked rather similar to the actual store. Again there were long straight shelving units stuffed with cardboard boxes, each plastered with labels detailing the boxes contents. The girl continued dragged him around before suddenly stopping, "Here we are," she cheered.

Letting go of his arm she pulled a box off a low shelf. "Carry this," she asked dumping the box in his hands. "And this one," she added, a second box appearing atop of the first. "That's it, I think. Back to the counter and we can see what's inside." She didn't seem to have noticed that thanks to the two boxes in his arms he couldn't actually see.

It took him a minute or two of nearly walking into most of the shelves but eventually he found his way back to the counter. "What took you?" she asked him as he re-emerged from the storage room, depositing the boxes on the countertop, he gave her a brief scowl that she missed as she dove into the first box.

One by one she pulled the contents out and lay them flat across the counters smooth wooden surface. And one by one Sasuke rejected them. It wasn't long before the first box was empty, quickly refilling it they moved onto the second box.

"Now I remember why these were left in storage," she said pulling the final item out of the second box. "Huh?"  
"These are all pretty dated," she answered, "While Shinobi attire is hardly fashionable it's still subject to the whims of fashion."

"An ultimately foolish endeavour dear daughter," a deep male voice replied from within the storage room. "Hey Tou-san," the girl said as possibly the largest man Sasuke had ever seen emerged from the dimly lit room.

He was well past six feet tall with a broad chest and arms the size of tree trunks. He wore plain brown clothing with a thick leather apron on top with thick gloves covering both hands. The entire outfit was covered with countless small black smudges, Sasuke thought they looked like small burns. His hair was cut fairly short and jet black and his face looked like it was covered in soot.

"Uh, what do you mean sir?" Sasuke asked the man mountain towering over him. "Fashion, every Shinobi outfitters worst nightmare. Pfff, it's supposed to keep you alive, not make you look good," he ranted. "You understand don't you, mister-uh?"

The girl clasped her hands to her mouth with a gasp. "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed from behind them, "I completely forgot to introduce myself or ask your name."  
"Well better late than never girl," her father chastised.

"My name is Tenten," she said extending a hand. "Uh, Uchiha Sasuke," he replied shaking her hand. Tenten already knew who he was of course, she'd known ever since he'd shown her the clan emblem on the back of his shirt but she didn't want to appear rude so didn't say anything. "Nice to meet you Sasuke-san, this is my Tou-san, Kanuchi."

The teachings from etiquette lessons that were drilled into Sasuke at a young age came to the fore as he slightly bowed to each of them individually. "It's nice to me you Kanuchi-san, Tenten-san."  
"Likewise young master," Kanuchi replied as Tenten gave him a warm smile. It was infectious, Sasuke couldn't help but reply with a diminutive smile of his own.

"So what were the two of you up to?" he asked the two pre-teens. "Sasuke-san here wants an entirely new outfit but we're struggling to find a shirt, we've been through everything but nothing is jumping out at him."

"Have you tried looking in those two boxes in storage?"  
"You're looking at em, Tou-san," she said pointing to the things cluttering the countertop.

"Oh right. Umm, if I recall correctly there was another box somewhere. But where is it?" he asked himself. "Tell you what, was it just clothing you were after or were you after weapons and equipment too?"  
"Uh it was just clothing but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look."  
"Ok then, you two go look at those and I'll see if I can find that box."  
"Ok Tou-san," Tenten cheered as she again dragged Sasuke away.

Kanuchi watched as they vanished down an aisle, Sasuke again being pulled around by the arm. He shook his head in amusement as he walked back into the storage room.

In hindsight Kanuchi perhaps should have sent Tenten to find the box while he showed Sasuke around the weapons. Her enthusiasm for weapons of any kind had to be seen to be believed.

And right now Sasuke was seeing it. Her descriptions of various kunai variants sounded more like a series of blurred together words than a properly constructed sentence. He just stood there in a daze, she'd just thrown a ton of verbal information his way and absolutely all of it went straight through him, not five words were retained, he just nodded as if he were listening devoutly.

"You said you're fighting style was Taijutsu, Ninjutsu heavy right?" she asked, her verbal pace finally slowing. He nodded. "Have you given any thought to wielding a blade of some sort?" This time he shook his head. "Hmm I reckon you should at least think about it. Short weapons like tantō's would synergise well with what you're already good at." she picked one of the weapons from the shelf and un-sheathing it, the metal shone beneath the bright lightbulbs above them, Sasuke could see his reflection in the steel.

"To be honest I don't think it would suit me," he said, a hint of sadness in his voice, he mentally chastised himself for letting it slip through. It was a lie to cover for the fact that Itachi used a tantō, it was a tantō he used to kill their parents. In light of that Sasuke simply couldn't and wouldn't bring himself to use one.

But he didn't want to tell Tenten that, so he lied.

As for Tenten she may have only been approaching the 1st Anniversary of her graduating to become a Genin but she was still more than aware enough to detect the sad tone in his voice, and that he seemed… unconvinced by his own reason, lacklustre with his conviction. She figured it was a private matter so let it be.

"Ok then, let's talk Shuriken, I know you use those," she said gently returning the tantō to the shelf and with a smile pulling him towards them as opposed to dragging him. He gave her another small smile as he tried to push the sad thoughts from his mind. He couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled so much, it felt weird, but a good kind of weird.

"Do you happen to have any of your shuriken on you?" He blinked a few times before remembering he was actually wearing a shuriken pouch. Withdrawing one he handed it to her.

She was in a word, Perturbed.

"Are they all like this?" she asked. Sasuke suddenly felt nervous, "Uh, yeah, why?" he warily replied. She shook her head muttering, "This won't do," under her breath.

"See this?" she said holding the circular weapon to the light, her pinkie finger pointed to a chip on the periphery of the shuriken. "Yeah," he said spotting the chip. "Ok, now do you see the hairline fracture spreading out from that chip in the metal." He had to strain his eyes slightly but after a few seconds he noticed it, even under the bright light it was barely perceivable. "I see it," he answered.

"Excellent. Because I can tell you right now that if I threw this full on at a stone wall it'd probably shatter."  
"Really?" he said apprehensively after a moments silence. "Yep," she said nodding her head, "You use the same set of shuriken for everything don't you?" His eyes widened a little in surprise, "How did you know?" he asked.

"It's the same for nearly everyone, it isn't just you," she tried to reassure him. "You'd be amazed how many Shinobi use the same set of shuriken for both training and missions."  
"What should they be doing instead?" he queried. "They should have separate sets for both training and missions. That way you're taking new or nearly new equipment that isn't damaged on missions."

If the words 'plain and bloody obvious' could slap people in the face it would have just done so for young Sasuke. It was such a disgustingly simple concept. "Mad isn't it," she grinned. "It's such an obvious thing," he admitted, his head dropping a little.

"It's the same for Kunai as well."  
"Then I'll be wanting new sets of both," Sasuke declared. While he may have chosen to walk a new path in life, there was still a slight air of arrogance about him, or at least there was in his mind and he would not allow himself to make such an idiotic decision again.

"We can do that. Do you have one of your kunai on you as well?" He in fact did, there were a few in the pouch beside his tailbone. Again he withdrew one and handed it to her, she held it under the light as well.

"Yep, the same problem. Anyway do you want to stick with the same shuriken size and kunai length?"  
"T-there's different types of shuriken?" he knew of differing variations for kunai, there was an entire shelf of them not five feet from him but shuriken variants were an unknown to him.

"Oh yeah there is," her grin widening. "There's different widths, designs and weights. Width relates to how big the shuriken is," she held up a much smaller shuriken not two inches across as an example.

"Designs relate to the shape of the points," this time she held up a shuriken with curved, serrated teeth instead of the regular four triangular prongs.

"And weight is exactly what it sounds like, lighter and heavier variants for different jobs." She placed a shuriken in his hand, he could fell the weight difference.

"Yours are five inches wide, four-pronged and weigh 85 grams each," she informed him. "You know all that just from holding it?" he asked in something resembling amazement. "uh-huh," she cockily replied, "When you spend enough time handling them as I do, you learn instinctively the widths and weight of them all."

"Do you want to stick with the same shuriken?" she asked. He thought on her question a few moments, casting his gaze over all the different types. "Yeah, I think I will stick with the same ones but I'll have half a dozen of these too," he said holding up a shuriken.

The shuriken in question was one of the serrated shuriken she'd just mentioned. It had three curved points and the entire outer edge was serrated."

"Sure. Those are devastating against flesh, removing them tends to do more damage than being hit by it. Will provide a bit more of a kick when you need it," she said with a slightly evil grin.

Sasuke and Tenten both turned and had just started to make their way back to the counter, new weapons in hand when he stopped again. There was something on a shelf a few feet away that caught his eye, he walked over and after shuffling everything he was holding into one hand, picked one of the metal implements up.

He held it up in front of his face and studied it. A very small metal sphere comprised the centre and jutting out from it was four sharp metal points about two inches in length. All in all the entire thing was about 4 and a half inches across. "What are these?" he asked. "Those Sasuke-san are called caltrops," Tenten answered. "Caltrops?" he repeated, "I've never heard of them."  
"That doesn't come as much of a surprise unfortunately. It's a shame really because they're nasty little things when used correctly.

She picked up one herself and placed it on the floor, one of the spikes pointed straight up. "What you do is place them on the floor, somewhere you can hide them, if hidden well enough someone will eventually step on one. Shinobi sandals are made from rubber, caltrops just cut straight through.

Sasuke winced slightly at how painful that must be. "In addition you can poison them or deploy them in massive quantities to prevent movement through an area. They can be useful little things when used properly. I always carry some, just on the off chance I'm in a situation that calls for them."

After hearing her description he placed the caltrop back in its tray and picked the entire tray of 24 up. "I'll take a set, as you said they have their uses and I'd rather have them and not need them..."  
"Then need them and not have them," she finished, he nodded enthusiastically.

"In that case then you're going to need a few storage scrolls to put them all in, your pouches are going to fill up really quickly if you start putting caltrops in with the others."  
"I can envision me stabbing myself with them in my pouches too," he added. "Another very good reason to use scrolls then, especially if you do decide to use poison," she laughed.

She first took him back to the counter to deposit the new sets of kunai, shuriken and caltrops before pulling him over to another part of the store.

They came to a halt and in front of Sasuke was an array of inked designs, brushes, inks, parchment and what they were here for, storage scrolls. "Tell me, how much do you know about Fūinjutsu?"  
"Almost nothing," he admitted. Tenten gave a quiet but embellished sigh, "Again, not a surprise. The art of sealing is an acquired taste, it's frighteningly difficult to master, even the beginner's stuff is difficult."

"So, if it's so difficult then who put the time and effort into developing it?"  
"Most Fūinjutsu designs were created by a single clan and some time ago as well. Sadly that clan is near extinct now."  
"Which clan is this? Konoha hasn't lost any clans?"  
"That's because they weren't a Konoha clan, they had a nation and hidden village all of their own, but they did have close relations with Konoha. Unfortunately their brilliance with Fūinjutsu led to their downfall," she said sombrely.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke found himself strangely hooked on her short history lesson. "Their Fūinjutsu talents made them highly feared, so feared that two of the major Shinobi powers Kumogakure and Kirigakure actually worked together to destroy both the clan and their home. The few survivors were scattered across the Elemental Nations," she answered, reciting almost word for word the entry in the book she'd read on the Uzumaki clan.

"That's a shame," he muttered, in this regard he could actually sympathise as the Uchiha now numbered only two. "What did you say the clan was called again?"  
"Oh gosh, I never told you did I," she said lightly slapping a hand against her cheek, "Sorry," she apologised. "They were the Uzumaki clan and they resided in a place called Uzushiogakure."

Sasuke, simply put was shocked and it showed on his face.

They'd all been wrong, all along. So many of their class and so many of the other students at the Academy had mocked Naruto for not knowing who his parents were. They'd all joked that they were nobodies, faces never to be seen, names never to be learned; but no.

Does he know? Does Naruto know he was descended from such a seemingly revered name. He'd known the name Uzumaki solely because it was Naruto's family name, he'd been utterly ignorant of its significance. He was already weighing up whether or not to tell him, ' _Something to think on later._ '

"The Uzumaki clans contributions are many, but the most utilised are these," she said picking up a small scroll. Sasuke could see the Kanji written on the front, it read 'Storage Scroll – x24'.

"What does the x24 mean?"  
"It corresponds to the number of individual items that can be stored inside it," she answered. "So this scroll could hold all twenty-four of the caltrops I picked up?"  
"Exactly." She handed the scroll to him, he looked it over, it was fairly small, he was fairly certain it would fit in one of his pouches.

"Apart from the obvious saving of space, it also reduces the weight you carry. The combined weight of your twenty-four caltrops will only be as much as the scroll itself. It's what allows me to carry hundreds of kunai and the like with me."  
"Hundreds?" he asked in disbelief, she grinned and only nodded.

He stepped up to the shelf and picked up a second scroll marked with 'x24'. "How durable are these?"  
"I'm glad you asked, it's best you know that using these aren't without risk. If the sealing array you're using to store your equipment inside is damaged then you may be unable to recover anything. As for how durable they are – not very. You can cut them, rip them, burn them."

He took a few moments to weigh up the benefits against the drawbacks, silently analysing them in his mind. "I'll take two, the pros outweigh the cons," he decided. She smiled happily at his decision, lightly clapping her hands together. It was a difficult task persuading Shinobi, especially recent or soon to be Academy graduates to see the benefits of Fūinjutsu and every one that did represented a personal victory for her.

Tenten double-timed them both back to the counter, she didn't want to keep her father waiting if he'd found that box already.

Turning the corner brought the counter into view, her father hadn't yet returned. By now the countertop was rather cluttered, she shook her head in mild annoyance, she didn't like clutter. Immediately she began organising all of Sasuke's purchases into one neat pile on one side of the counter.

With those done she turned her attention to the box worth of shirts piled on top on one another. Picking them up one at a time she meticulously folded them and neatly placed them back in the box. Sasuke just watched on in silence as the box filled up, he had to admit if it were him he'd just throw them all back in the box with little regard for if they creased or not.

A few minutes of silent watching later she was finished, the box was closed back up and stacked atop the already refilled second, both were left next to the opening to the storage room ready for placing back later.

Sasuke now slowly and very deliberately placed the two storage scrolls still in his hands neatly atop his pile of purchases. "Good boy," she joked.

The two traded small talk to pass the time, Tenten asked him about his weekend and other than his walk through the Uchiha Clan grounds he had to make up the rest. He certainly wasn't comfortable telling her about the latest bout of his recurring nightmare.

In return he asked her about the shop and how much time she spent working here.

Turned out the shop was jointly owned by both her father Kanuchi and her uncle Shounin. Kanuchi was effectively the shop's blacksmith, he would replenish the shop's supply of kunai and the like by making them from scratch in the forge attached to the back of the store and ran the store from day to day.

Meanwhile her uncle Shounin would travel across the Shinobi Nations, occasionally returning to the village with various new and interesting finds they could sell or themselves reproduce, whether they were weapons, Fūinjutsu designs or curious little Knick knacks.

"Where on earth do you find time to do missions, train, and work here most days?" he asked in muted astonishment. As far as he could tell, she didn't look tired, and that only made it all the more impressive.

Before she could answer, another beat her to it. "I ask myself that very question rather frequently young sir," Kanuchi said as he emerged from the storage room, a small cardboard box under his arm.

"Oh you did find it, great. Where was it?" Tenten asked. "Not with the clothing funnily enough, it was hidden behind the boxes of broken kunai."  
"You have boxes of broken Kunai?" Sasuke blurted out. Realising he'd interrupted he looked away slightly embarrassed which Kanuchi only quietly chuckled at. "Aye, we do lad. We recycle them. Remove take the bindings from the handles, melt them down and cast new kunai, re-bind them, done.  
"Saves us a fair amount not having to buy iron ore or steel bars as well."  
"Do you accept broken kunai?"  
"Yep, bring them in with you next time and we'll take them off you."

"I'll try to remember that, better than just throwing them away." Kanuchi nodded a few times, "Bring a dozen of them and I'll give you 5% off a new set." Sasuke nodded, in his head he was taken aback, it wasn't often a store owner willingly offered a discount on anything, or at least not one trying to brown nose.

"How in the world did the box end up with the kunai? That's near enough the opposite end of the storeroom," Tenten jumped in returning them from their tangent. "Who knows," her father replied with a shrug of the shoulders before he placed the box on the countertop.

The box clearly had been hiding amongst the kunai for a while, the top was covered in a thick layer of dust. As for the box itself, it was an old battered thing, brown duct tape covered a fair amount of its surface, it was also much smaller than the first two. Given the size of the box would mean there'd only be a few things inside, Sasuke was rather apprehensive about finding something he really liked.

But he was wrong. The very first thing Tenten pulled out and laid flat on the counter after cutting the boxes taped lid open immediately caught Sasuke's eye.

"Are you sure this is the one Sasuke-san?" Tenten asked, "There's still a few things in here."  
"No, thank you Tenten-san," he replied shaking his head, "This is the one, or, at least the design is."  
"You don't like the colour?" Kanuchi presumed. The young Uchiha nodded.

The huge man rubbed his finger and thumb against his chin, "Hmm, how are you for a budget considering everything you're already getting?"  
"Budget's not a concern," Tenten blurted out before her hand immediately clasped over her mouth. Her father gave her a slightly irritable look. "Alright then, but next time girl, let the lad answer, ok?" Her face tinted red with embarrassment, "Sorry," she muffled from behind her hand.

A shake of the head later Kanuchi turned back to Sasuke. "Well now we know that, I can make my suggestion to you. I can make a new one of these, several if you'd prefer, but in a colour of your choosing." That put a wide grin on Sasuke's face, "That sounds brilliant, what colours have I to…"

He was cut off by the sound of something heavy bouncing off the countertop. Turning he saw a large tome of some sort. Tenten opened it and spun it around to face him. To his amazement it was a book of nothing but colour choices. They both watched as Sasuke carefully looked over the hundreds of colours the tome held within its near hundred pages.

Nearly five minutes passed without a word being spoken as Sasuke flicked through page after page, each colour was displayed and represented by a small square of fabric underneath which was a three digit number. Sasuke had to flip through nearly a third of the pages, his finger tracing over each individual piece of fabric.

Then his finger stopped. "That's the one," he declared. "You sure lad?" He nodded firmly once. "Alright then." Kanuchi, pencil in hand wrote down Sasuke's name and three digit number he'd use to remember the chosen colour on a scrap of paper. "How many will you be needing?" Kanuchi asked, "Fourteen? Enough for extended missions and some spares," Tenten suggested. Sasuke found himself quickly agreeing.

Another scribble with his pencil and Kanuchi was ducking back into the storage room where he attached the paper slip to an unseen peg for safekeeping.

"As a heads up, it'll take about a month to make everything, we don't keep over a dozen of a single size and colour. Is that ok?" Kanuchi informed him. Sasuke thought a moment, ' _That means it won't be ready until just before I get sorted into my Genin team. I don't want people to catch on just yet so this works fine, I can put up with the black for a while longer._ '

"That would be fine, I was expecting it to be a while at least. But it times well with my leaving the Academy and becoming a Genin."  
"Ah, new look for your first day as a Genin?" Kanuchi assumed. Again, Sasuke nodded.

"Alright then lad, You leave it with me. I'll see ya in a month's time when it's done," the huge man said bidding Sasuke farewell as he disappeared into the storage room again. "Will do, and thank you," Sasuke called after him.

"Is that everything?" Tenten asked him. "Err," he hummed as he looked over what was already on the countertop, Tenten had already put the book of colours back underneath on a shelf somewhere. He quickly scanned the aisles in view for anything that both, caught his eye and he didn't have.

Nothing did so he turned back to face her, "No, that looks like everything."

-(*)-

Sasuke pulled the door shut behind him. With a last glance over the rugged exterior and two storage scrolls full of his purchases, he departed. Departed from what would now be his go-to place for all things Shinobi. The frustrations of other stores were left at the door, no fawning over him, no sycophantic tripping over their feet to please him.

Just plain, simple professionalism. He needed their help and they provided it, it provided a refreshing sense of reality.

It was such a shame therefore, that the store he stopped by on the way back home to replace the cheese he'd eaten in one go the previous day didn't provide a similar experience. Thankfully he was there no more than a few moments.

It was only on his way back home that he noticed the streets were far emptier than when he'd last walked them earlier that day. It was then he realised just how long he'd actually been with Tenten and her father. His past self would have lost all patience and likely stormed out long before Kanuchi had even shown himself.

As he shut his front door behind him, remembering to lock it, he wasn't going anywhere else today. After putting the replacement cheese back in the fridge he let himself drop into the sofa. As he looked up at the ceiling he let out a contented sigh before going over what had happened over the past few hours.

It had been one big experience, a positive experience. He had little trouble admitting to himself that he'd liked it. Comparing this Sunday to the previous Sunday was like night and day. Today Sasuke had actually enjoyed himself, he couldn't remember the last time he simply enjoyed something and he wanted to experience another day like it. ' _Is this what it feels like to be a prisoner on the first day of their release,_ ' he wondered, It certainly felt like it in his mind.

Tomorrow would certainly prove interesting, as he thought on the schedule he and his class had on Mondays, there were a lot of theory-based lessons. Sasuke also realised that he knew almost nothing about any of those he shared a class with, he'd learnt more about Naruto today than he'd known to begin with.

Those theory lessons would provide him with a good window of opportunity to study them, learn about them. He'd be doing it under the guise of the same hostile persona he'd finished last week with. He didn't want any of them to know about the enormous change that had occurred over the weekend - well, at least not yet.

And for the first time in a long while, Sasuke looked forward to the next day. He happily hummed to himself as he made himself a hearty meal, the first actual meal he'd had all weekend. And afterwards he went to bed, no longer filled with the sense of dread that came with falling asleep. He wasn't expecting them to simply go away just like that, he'd have to confront them again but he wasn't scared of them anymore, after all they were only dreams.

* * *

End Chapter

[ **1** ] – Kanuchi is the Japanese word for Blacksmith. Shounin is the Japanese word for Merchant/ shopkeeper/ trader.


End file.
